‘New UAE re-entry permit a great relief: From businessmen to students, residency visa holders hail initiative’

‘New UAE re-entry permit a great relief: From businessmen to students, residency visa holders hail initiative’

Residents applying for the service must specify their reason for overstaying abroad for that long and provide proof

Published: Mon 30 Jan 2023, 5:34 PM Last updated: Mon 30 Jan 2023, 5:48 PM

The new UAE re-entry permit allows expats who have stayed outside the Emirates for over six months to return to the country as long as they hold a valid visa. This new amendment brought a sigh of relief to many residents living outside the country for education, business or personal reasons.

Abdul Basit Nsubuga, sales manager at Aramex, is relieved by the change as his wife, who holds a UAE residence visa, lives and works back home in Uganda. She always had to return before the six-month deadline.

Nsubuga said, "My wife is a businesswoman, and the work requires her presence and involvement in Uganda. As this was her fourth month of exiting the UAE, we had to hurry up with the travel plans. We have been doing this for years, but the new provision is a big help." The new permit will ease stress and help Nsubuga's children and wife plan their travel better.

The permit can be obtained through the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security's (ICP)